2025 NFL Draft: Shedeur Sanders' fall is probably the most memorable in draft history
Shedeur Sanders said on social media Thursday night, "I'm built for whatever today may bring."
He probably didn't expect to be tested on Friday too.
Sanders didn't attend the NFL Draft in Green Bay, opting to be with his family in Texas instead. That's probably for the best, because video of him would have been all over the broadcasts of ESPN and NFL Network as he slipped out of the first round Thursday night, then saw his fall continue through the second and third rounds on Friday night while several other quarterbacks went ahead of him.
The most talked-about player in this draft class now has what will likely be remembered as the most memorable draft fall in NFL Draft history. It's very rare to see such a high-profile player who was considered a good bet for the first round to not even go in the first three rounds. Here are some other memorable falls, in no particular order:
Aaron Rodgers, 2005: Rodgers was in the green room for the draft. That made sense because he was considered a possibility to go first overall. And the video of Rodgers waiting while pick after pick was made has become part of his NFL legacy.
We know how it turned out. The Packers picked Rodgers 22nd overall, he won four NFL MVP awards and had one of the greatest careers in league history.
Dan Marino, 1983: Marino's fall happened before the NFL Draft was one of the biggest television shows of the year. But we remember the story.
Marino slid in the famous 1983 draft, perhaps due to rumors of drug use. Even the Pittsburgh Steelers passed, even though they needed a quarterback and Marino played at nearby Pitt. The Miami Dolphins finally took Marino with the 27th pick. He was the sixth quarterback off the board. The Dolphins got more than a decade of Hall of Fame play from Marino, one of the all-time greats.
Warren Sapp, 1995: Sapp was expected to go very early in the draft. But a last-minute report that he had failed multiple drug tests at the University of Miami, which he denied, led to him falling. Jets fans at the draft chanted for their team to pick Sapp, but they took tight end Kyle Brady instead. Sapp's frustration was evident in the green room. Eventually, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Sapp 12th overall.
Sapp ended up being the cornerstone of a defense that won the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
Johnny Manziel, 2014: Manziel's story has some similarities to Sanders. He was one of the buzziest figures in his draft class. He was also a divisive figure to some. Manziel also had physical limitations that caused NFL teams to think twice about taking him. His slide became a huge story on draft night.
Manziel fell to 22nd overall, where he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. Unlike some other notable draft falls, this story didn't end that well. Manziel was out of the NFL after just two seasons and 17 games.
Randy Moss, 1998: Moss was undeniably talented coming out of Marshall, where he dominated in college. He also had plenty of off-field stories, including being dismissed from Notre Dame and Florida State. Teams were nervous about his background and he slid. Kevin Dyson was the first receiver taken while Moss waited.
Finally, the Minnesota Vikings took Moss at No. 21. He had one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history and ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as one of the best receivers to ever play.
Geno Smith, 2013: Smith was considered a first-round pick coming out of West Virginia. When he wasn't picked in the first, he left the green room in frustration and said he wasn't returning the next day. He did end up returning and was taken by the New York Jets in the second round.
His wait was a precursor to his career. Smith didn't work out with the Jets, was a backup for a long time, but in his ninth season the Seattle Seahawks gave him a shot to start and he had 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was already used to waiting for his shot.
Will Levis, 2023: Like Sanders, Levis was viewed as a potential top-five pick for some of the offseason and went nowhere near that high. Levis was in the green room and was regularly on camera as he fell through the entire first round. The Tennessee Titans took him in the second round.
Levis got a chance to start in each of his first two seasons with the Titans but the team grew tired of his turnovers and picked Cam Ward first overall this year.